UPDATE: Midnight Transformer Blast Sparks Chaos in Plainview

An explosion in an electrical transformer on Hope Drive brought chaos to Plainview early Saturday.

Plainview Hospital lost power for a period of time around midnight and, later, a nearby medical office building caught fire.

Power had to be restored to the hospital first before Plainview firefighters could extinguish the transformer blaze behind Hope Drive.

The power surge from the transformer explosion sent power surges through neighboring homes and set off alarms, firefighters said. Plainview responded to several of these calls through the night.

Then, about 7 a.m. Saturday, another fire was reported in a nearby medical office building. Plainview firefighters responded and found a first-floor suite ablaze in the two-story building. Firefighters quickly put out that fire and ventilated the building.

It is suspected that power surges from the transformer explosion set off the fire in the medical building, firefighters said, but a fire marshall has been called in to investigate whether there was a link.

No injuries were reported.